Car Accident Report – Shelby County Auto Accident Statistics

Car accidents occur with alarming frequency in Tennessee. In fact, in the year 2016, there have already been more than 16,197 drivers involved in crashes in Shelby County alone. Here are some Shelby County auto accident statistics you should know:

Alcohol-Related Traffic Crashes on the Decline

Over the period from 2006 to 2016, the number of alcohol-related traffic crashes has declined. In 2006, there were 788 alcohol-related traffic accidents in Shelby. In 2016 (as of March 31, 2016), there have only been 155 alcohol-related accidents. In 2015, the number of alcohol-related crashes, when compared to 2006, decreased by 216.

Distracted Driving Accidents Increase

While the fact that alcohol-related crashes have decreased is great news for Shelby and the state of Tennessee, the bad news is that distracted driving-related crashes have increased nearly every year. In 2007, there were a total of 1,631 distracted driver traffic crashes reported – as of March 31, 2016, there have already been more than that (1,644) reported for 2016. In 2015, there were 6,381 distracted driving traffic crashes, an increase of nearly 300 percent.

Traffic Crashes in Shelby County By Day of Week, Time of Day, and Driver Age

For the few months of 2016 for which data is available, the most dangerous day for drivers in Shelby appears to be Thursday – from January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016, there were 1,423 traffic accidents reported on Thursdays, compared to 847 traffic accidents reported on Sundays.

Further, the most dangerous time to drive (according to 2015 car accident data) is between 3:00 p.m. and 5:59 p.m., the hours of which witnesses 2,296 traffic accidents. The least dangerous time to drive appears to be between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 5:59 a.m., when 326 traffic accidents were reported in 2015.

Data suggests that for the first quarter of 2016, the most inexperienced drivers are the most likely to get in an accident – 5,348 drivers ages 16 through 25 were involved in crashes. The safest of drivers might be those older than 76, as drivers this age and above were involved in 526 accidents over the same time period.